Las Vegas dominates Atlanta to end road skid

Las Vegas is hoping to have steadied its ship on the road after its lasting showing away from home.

The Aces earned their second win of the season over the Atlanta Dream, this time by a final score of 109-87 Monday, Aug. 3. In the first meeting, the team took down Atlanta without stars Rhyne Howard and Brionna Jones.

Las Vegas had previously lost its last two road games by a combined two points.

“We had six or seven turnovers in the first quarter,” head coach Becky Hammon said. “And we ended the game with nine so we really cleaned that aspect up.”

With the win, the Aces are now 21-9 this year and have climbed to within three and a half games back of the league-leading Minnesota Lynx.

Now, they will head to Indiana for the third meeting of the year with the Fever after having lost the first two matchups. That game will take place Thursday, Aug. 6 at 4 p.m. from Conseco Fieldhouse and will serve as the third of this five-game road trip.

Las Vegas tied its season-high in total points with its 109-point showing. It was largely in part to the triple-double performance by guard Jackie Young.

In the third triple-double of her career, Young recorded 28 points on 11-of-17 shooting, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. That scoring output was boosted by a 14-point second quarter as part of a 19-point first half.

“That’s Jackie Young,” forward A’ja Wilson said. “I don’t want to sell her short but I want that Jackie Young every single night. I think she’s capable of doing it but this is what we see every single practice and every single game for Jackie.”

The Aces won that second quarter, 33-14, highlighted by a 15-2 run at one point. Additionally, the team won the third frame by seven points while going on another 8-0 spurt.

As a team, Las Vegas shot 62% from the field while adding 10 made three-pointers on 19 attempts for a 53% finishing mark.

“We’re a team that plays out of our defense,” Wilson said. “When we’re rocking and rolling, the offense comes very easy to us.”

At one point of the third quarter, the Aces went up by as many as 28 points.

Wilson packed the stat sheet with 23 points on 8-of-11 from the field while adding six rebounds, four rebounds and three blocks. Moreover, she turned in a +38 plus/minus in the winning effort.

Adding to the frontcourt production, forward NaLyssa Smith added 18 points on 9-of-16 from the floor. As a collective, Las Vegas scored 62 points in the paint, 10 more than its opponent.

Guard Chelsea Gray chipped in with 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting to go along with six assists and two steals.